Early Detection of Autism through Acoustic Analysis of Cry

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Preliminary evidence suggests that children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may be characterized by atypical features of cry during early infancy. Previous research has identified atypicalities in prosodic qualities of speech and vocalizations in older children with autism, and unusual acoustic features of infant cry would be consistent with such findings from early childhood. Our lab has conducted studies of cry acoustics in a number of clinical populations, including (most recently) infants later diagnosed with an ASD. The cry analysis system utilized in our lab is specifically modeled on the infant's developing vocal tract. However, current acoustic analysis systems, including our own, may not be accurate enough to detect these atypicalities, especially where they may be subtle. This project teams researchers with expertise in infant cry production and autism in infancy and early childhood, as well as a lab with extensive experience in the development of acoustic analysis and speech recognition tools. This team will work collaboratively to develop a new acoustic analysis system for infant cry based on state of the art acoustical engineering and computer technology. In particular, we will utilize advances in digital signal processing to yield more accurate and robust detection and modeling of infant cry acoustics. We will then validate this new system against our current system by using a large data bank of cries already collected, including cries of infants who were later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This project could lead to a simple, non-invasive procedure that could identify signs of autism shortly after birth and would have enormous public health significance. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This research is highly relevant to both early identification and intervention for children with autism. By developing a system that can identify atypical aspects of cry in infancy associated with this disorder, this research will aide in the development of more sensitive and specific screening and diagnostic tools for use in infancy. In addition, this research will improve our understanding of the roots and course of communication impairments in autism.